An area in central Oxford has been evacuated amid reports of gunfire. 

Thames Valley Police has shut Paradise Street and Castle Street in the city and are urging members of the public to stay away. 

Witnesses at the scene have reported 'a series of loud bangs' before an armed response unit was sent in.   

Thames Valley Police tweeted: ‘Due to an ongoing Police incident in paradise square, oxford, please avoid the area.’ 

One resident in Paradise Square told the Oxford Mail: 'I was coming home with my kids and police wouldn't let us into the street.

'I heard about five gunshots and there was an armed response.

'Flats have been evacuated and police were trying to talk someone down from their balcony. Police told me to stay in my house.'

The local ambulance service tweeted: ‘We are currently supporting Thames Valley Police at a police incident in Paradise Square. 

'One patient is currently being assessed & treated for non-life threatening injuries.'

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